Disappointing Start for Gilroy and The Dubs

By Peter Branigan at Croke Park

27 January 2018

Dublin 1-15

Offaly 2-25

Dublin's hopes of promotion from Division 1A were dealt a hefty blow at Croke Park on Saturday night as they were beaten by Offaly. A Paul Winters' goal kept The Dubs in it at the break, as they trailed by five.

But the Faithful County weren't going to let a big result slip away, and they were by far the better team in the second-half.

Suppoters of the small ball game in the capital will take little solace from the fact that Galway failed to gain League promotion last Spring, and still went on to claim provincial and All-Ireland titles in the summer.

Offaly opened the scoring with a point from Oisin Kelly, but it could have been worse, as Dubs keeper Alan Nolan had to tip the effort over the bar.

They had doubled their lead via Joe Bergin, who would go on to score six in the first half for Offaly, including five frees, before Chris Crummey got the Dubs off the mark with the help of Hawkeye.

The visitors were impressing at that early stage, and points from Colin Egan, Shane Kinsella, and two more Bergin frees had Offaly three clear midway through the first half.

The Dubs responded with points from play from Alan Moore, and Donal Burke, but again The Faithful pushed on. A fine sideline cut from Kelly left them four clear with twenty-three minutes on the clock.

Then Dublin struck; Paul Winters cut in from the right and buried the ball to the net. And then a long range Donal Burke free brought the sides level.

But Kinsella, Bergin, and Damien Egan pointed to leave the visitors five clear at the break.